A WILDLIFE charity is asking for volunteers to help save the water vole.

The People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) wants Somerset people to take note of any signs or sightings of the cute little mammal along riverbanks, canals and other inland water channels.

The survey will then help conservationists find where the voles are living, how many there are and, most importantly, if they need any help.

Water voles are Britain’s fastest declining mammal after a staggering 90% of the population was lost between the 1980s and 1990s because of habitat loss.

PTES needs to build on the data collected in 2015 after last year’s spring survey was cancelled due to coronavirus.

Henrietta Pringle, Key Species Monitoring and Data Officer at PTES, said: “Finding out where water voles are is crucial to their conservation, so now more than ever we need feet on the ground to help us look for these adorable riverside residents to see how they’re faring.”

She hopes that with the help of the public, water voles can be protected and encouraged to return to the water so they become a common sight on our riverbanks again.

The survey will run until June 15.

Anyone wanting to take part can pick one of the 850 pre-selected sites online at www.ptes.org/watervoles.